Elastic Heart
by sixdegreesofseperation
Summary: As the twin sister of Stiles, Alex can safely state that her life is beyond chaotic; there's only so much she can take with the looming threat of the Alpha pack. And what's the deal with Derek Hale and his sudden overbearing indifference towards her existence? Derek/OC, slight Aiden/OC. Starting S3. Episode-by-Episode. R&R, please!
1. Tattoo

**Season 3, Episode 1: **_**Tattoo**_

* * *

It was almost a full moon, I noted. I could see the glow of the moon from the outside of the dusty window, right through the glowing letters that said; Tattoo.

Oh God, Papa Stilinski is going to _kill_ us if he ever finds out we were here. Which he will – find out, that is. Because he's Papa Stilinski.

"Well," The tattoo artist said, his voice deep and although amused, also slightly annoyed. "It's a good thing you drew me a picture."

My brows rose as I only saw Scott smirk sheepishly. The tattoo artist huffed and walked forward as Stiles annoyingly touched _every single damn object_ in the room. He avoided the needles, though, for obvious reasons.

(He was a pussy.)

"Hey Scott," Stiles suddenly spoke up, turning around to show him a tattoo in the album. "You sure you don't want something like this?"

I walked around him to see him pointing to a tattoo design of a giant lizard. I chuckled but still sent him an annoyed look. But stil, _ouch_.

"_Dude_." I hissed, pinching the bridge of my nose. I couldn't help but picture Derek's reaction if here were right now. He'd probably smirk ever-so-slightly, look down and then avoid my glare like a scolded puppy.

"Too soon?" He asked, nodding as Scott smiled slightly. "Yeah…"

As Stiles went on talking about the permanence of these tattoo's and Scott once again told him he wasn't going to change his mind, I walked around the tattoo parlour and looked at the designs littering the walls. One caught my eye.

And then I felt it; it was almost a physical thread pulling me towards the black artwork. I let my pointy finger wander down the design, already wondering what it would look like forever printed on my body. Biting the corner of my lip, I spared Stiles a look and snatched the design off the wall.

Oh well. YOLO.

Stiles' expression changed drastically as he heard and saw the needle. Without a blink sent his way, I watched as the idiot collapsed. Thank God I wasn't graced with the gene of being absolutely terrified of fucking needles. I almost felt bad for my twin, but let's face it, the guy was a total pussy when it came to this stuff.

With Stiles still passed out on the floor and Scott staring at his now bandaged arm, I stepped forward with a sheet of paper.

"Hi, can I have this?" I asked sweetly, batting my lashes at the bald man. He chuckled. "What?"

Scott was beginning to complain as the tattooist grabbed the design from me. "How old are you again?"

"Eighteen." I lied quickly, sending him another smile.

"Oh my God, your Dad is going to kill you…" He trailed off before he looked me straight in the eyes, a panicked look on his face. "No, no. He won't kill you. He'll kill Stiles. And me. And-"

I shared an exasperated look with the artist before I sat down and took my jumper off. I was wearing a white training bra beneath the light material of my jumper and pointed to my shoulder blade.

"I want it here."

* * *

He nodded sharing another look with me as Scott mumbled on incoherently.

"I can't believe you let my little sister get a tattoo." Stiles huffed angrily, pouting like a child.

"I'm your twin, _dickhead_."

"I came out of the womb first, idiot."

"So? I can beat up a werewolf. You still play lacrosse like a pussy."

We noticed Scott hissing in pain from beside us as he stared down at his bandaged arm.

"It kinda burns." He stated and I rolled my eyes. He was meant to be a werewolf and he acted like the tiniest pressure of a needle would break him. Sure, mine ached too, but I wasn't about to vocalize it like he was currently doing.

"Yes, you just had your skin stabbed about a hundred thousand times… with – _with_ a needle."

"Yeah.," Scott breathed out. I looked at him in concern now. "I don't think you're supposed to feel this." He added, facing me. I shrugged at him in response.

He groaned again as Stiles and I shared a look and stared at him in concern. The brutal expression on his face told us that the pain intensified and with the limited knowledge of what werewolf plus tattoo meant, I was growing uncomfortable.

Derek had plenty of tattoo's but my attempt at finding out what they meant and _how_ he got them were to this date futile.

Stiles was groaning, hiding his face in the crook in his arm as he protested against Scott wanting to rip the bandage off. I watched with wide eyes as the tattoo dissolved into the angry redness of his skin.

"What the fuck?" I asked desperately. I've faced worse, but this shit was just verging on crazy. Permanent ink just _disappeared_.

"It healed."

No shit, Sherlock.

I was suddenly very thankful I never took the bite from Peter _Creeper_ Hale.

* * *

After being ignored by Lydia and Allison and Lydia's car being promptly _destroyed_ by a fucking deer or whatever the thing was, we all left silently. We dropped Scott off at home while Stiles and I raced upstairs. He was about to win when I grabbed his leg and threw him off the last step, causing his head to collide with the floor and bounce back painfully.

Yikes. Concussion coming right up!

I laughed in his face while he exclaimed vivid, nasty words. "You bitch!"

"You kids stop it. Now!" Dad yelled from downstairs and I stuck my tongue out at my twin as he looked at me in pure annoyance before he smirked suddenly.

"I'm gonna tell him." He whispered, smiling evilly.

My eyes widened before I glared at him. "Tell him and I'll tell him that I caught you sniffing the detergent."

His face dropped. "I – I didn't _mean _to. It was the…"

"Not my fault you forgot to take your meds you hyper little bitch."

He scowled at me. "I will tell him, Alex and you'll be grounded i."

I was suddenly made aware how ridiculous we must have looked. We were casually lounging on the stairs, both lying down as I pressed my twins face against the carpet. He was trying to slap my hand away but my strength surpassed his. Courtesy of Derek and his training sessions this summer (and his wonderful, wonderful body which was curtly used as inspiration).

"Tell who what?"

My heart dropped as Stiles took the opportunity to slap me on my shoulder blade. He was about to run off but he only got held down again as I grabbed his feet. I punched him in the shoulder and made him yelp like the little bitch he was.

Dad was watching us patiently, knowing that if he intervened, we were only going to continue until Stiles had a broken nose or a split lip. Once we calmed down, Stiles faced Dad happily, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Well, you see…" He trailed off as I grabbed the back of his neck and dug my nails into his flesh. He clenched his eyes, his voice wheezy as he spoke in a rush. "_Alexgotatattoo_."

A moment passed before Dad's face went red. "Y-you _what_?"

Stiles laughed and finally got the chance to run off. I heard him talk animatedly on the phone with Scott as I looked up to see Dad looking at me with a stern look and an unhealthy-looking red face.

_Fuck_.

Slowly, my bottom lip jutted out as I looked at him from under my lashes. My dark hair was still clouding my face but I could tell my hazel-green eyes were slowly getting to him as he began to relax.

"Daddy, don't be mad." I said childishly as I stepped down to stand next to him.

"Alex, stop making that face." He said. "No, stop _it_. You're grounded!"

But seeing as he didn't particularly mean it, I hugged him quickly. He groaned, knowing I was getting my way. Again. At least this wasn't the time I was telling him I was hanging around an ex-supposed murder as he taught me to fight amongst many other things.

"One of these days, I'm going to have a heart attack. I swear… I _will_ Lex and then you won't be laughing and pulling those faces."

I giggled, inwardly smirking.

* * *

I could hear Dad berating Stiles and Stiles protesting all the way from downstairs. Stiles was my ride, and if we didn't leave _right now_, we were going to be late for the stupid assembly this morning.

"Stiles!" I yelled angrily as Dad walked down the stairs, kissing me on the forehead and also leaving. I heard twins footsteps and glared at him, annoyed.

He looked me over, narrowing his eyes. "Dad is really letting you wear that?" He asked, pointing to what I was wearing.

Tight, black jeans, black vans and a white loose tank top. Although, I gotta give him credit too. The tank top was so loose it showed off my bra at the sides beneath my armpits and the back was more a racer back than anything. It showed off my new tattoo, the swelling gone which I wasn't exactly complaining about but it _was_ strange.

I winked at him as he sent me an annoyed look, grabbing a nearby apple.

"I do what I want, twin. You should know that by now."

"God." He groaned as we climbed into this shitty jeep. "You need to stop hanging around with Derek."

* * *

We were walking to class, me trailing behind the two as I thumbed away on my phone. Neither knew I had kept in contact with Allison and Lydia over the summer.

"You wanna ask for help from Derek?" Asked Stiles, still probably annoyed at the comment from this morning. "_Why_?"

"He's got that tattoo on his back." Scott reasoned. I mumbled incoherently under my breath, agreeing with the werewolf. "There _has_ to be a way to do it without healing."

The two walked off and I spotted Allison and Lydia chatting by the lockers as Lydia scanned the hallways. Probably perving on the freshman, the slut. I love her.

"Allison, I love you…"

"Oh God, did I just ruin some Allydia proclamation of love? Oh no, let me just…" I said, joking. The two ignored me and I waited for Lydia to finish her speech.

"…So if you need to do that thing where we we're talking about me and pretend that we're not actually talking about _you_, that's totally fine," Allison shook her head, chuckling. "But, I don't want a boyfriend. I want a distraction."

She leaned against the lockers and searched around the hallway just as the doors opened again and in walked two tall figures. They caught my vision instantly. Holy shit, fuck me sideways.

Allison looked at them too, a little confused at first before her look changed to one of appreciation as Lydia licked her lips.

"Brothers?" Allison asked faintly.

Lydia smiled, shrugging. "Twins."

Holy shit… they were _hot_. While one was staring blankly ahead of him, one smirked. In the fleetest moment, his eyes skipped to mine and he winked, continuing to walk until they passed us. Allison nudged me playfully as Lydia pouted.

"I don't usually call dibs…"I trailed off, fixing the pout on my face as I looked at my redheaded (shut up, Stiles, she's a fucking redhead you idiot) best friend. "But - you know."

She rolled her eyes, lacing her arm through mine and looked at me out of the very corner of my eye. "We'll see who can get him first, then."

"Deal!" I snorted but I knew this little deal was all in good fun. If Lydia really did want the dude, I was going to back off. However, Lydia was very fleeting with her relationships lately and I had much more fucked up emotional trauma going on in my personal life to throw myself into a serious relationship.

Allison spotted my tattoo and Lydia looked fascinated with the rune ink on my shoulder blade.

We walked into our first class and I took a seat next to Lydia who smiled cheerily at me. My heart clenched a little in familiarity. This was the smile Lydia and Allison used to smile way back last year, before all this bullshit started happening.

I just wanted to grab those two and cuddle them until they felt safe and warm. And maybe cuddle Derek too, because the dude deserved a good cuddle (and if that cuddle included a lay in the equation, I wouldn't complain either).

Scott and Stiles, of course, wouldn't get the treatment because they were my bitches. I wasn't a softie in the least, but something about those three just screamed 'fragile' inside my head and I wanted to protect them against all evil.

And wow, that _almost_ sounded poetic.

I watched as Scott drooled over Allison, who looked a little startled but still smiled. My phone, along with everyone else's vibrated and I shared a look with Stiles. Here we fucking go with the creepy shit again.

Some pretty woman walked in, quoting exactly what was in the text. She was tall and pale, with brown hair and a smile on her face as she turned to us.

"This is the last line to the first book we're going to read. It is _also_ the last text you will receive in this class. Phones off, everyone."

I groaned a little as a few other people did. The wicked gleam didn't go unnoticed by me as she stared us down. Something was up with this bitch. _Hmm_.

The lesson was going back slowly as I wondered where Isaac was. His absence went unnoticed by Scott and Stiles but I'd be damned if I forgot about the puppy dog with the bluest eyes I've ever seen.

Allison was passing a note to Scott and I saw him nod. I let myself smile a little. I loved those two together and I was still patiently rooting for them to get back together. Scott got called out of class following the event and I rolled my eyes, sharing a look with my twin.

"Hey, Lydia," Stiles whispered after a while and Lydia looked to the side slowly. "What is that? Is that from the accident?" He asked, pointing at her bandaged ankle.

I furrowed my full eyebrows at that as I leaned closer.

"No, Prada bit me." She said a little reluctantly. Understand dawned upon me but of course, twin was stupid. Alas, that made me wonder why _exactly_ her normally sedated dog was taking a chunck out of her.

"Your _dog_?" He asked surprised. I slapped my forehead.

"No, my designer hand bag," She said sarcastically. "Yes, my dog." Nodding at him like he was an idiot, she looked back at her book.

"Has it ever bitten you before?" He continued the conversation, and when Lydia shook her head, Stiles continued. I listened up. "Okay, what if it's the same thing as the deer? You know, how like animals start acting weird before an earthquake or something?"

Lydia looked interested for a second as she looked right at him. "Meaning what? There's gonna be an earthquake?"

"Or _something_. Maybe it means something is coming." He said. "Something bad."

Oh God, no. Please, _no_. Not again.

"It was a deer and a dog." She said, this time a little thoughtful. "What that thing you say about three's? Once, twice…"

Something else quickly gathered my attention as I heard the window being hit. When I looked over at the blood and feather placed on the glass, I groaned. Here we go again.

Everyone looked around as the teacher walked towards it. Dozens of black birds made its appearance as everyone stared. Blankly facing the window, I went to reach out for Stiles. It was instinct – protecting your twin. Knowing what was about to happen, I braced myself for the impact.

The crashing of glass sounded through the room as the teacher yelled for us to get down. I threw myself over Lydia and Stiles as they tried to cover themselves as much as they could.

I felt the beaks, claws and glass hit my back and head but I ignored the pain, focusing on protecting my friends.

I heard Lydia cry out and my arm pushed her head further underneath me as I kept my eyes shut, willing my body to not run from the assault.

When the attack finished, we climbed over the desk. I huffed out a few painful breaths, my neck aching profusely. I was still holding onto Stiles' arm as we looked around, seeing the class in ruins and feathers lying around everywhere along with some dead birds. I felt like barfing, but I kept it down.

* * *

It was lunch and Scott still hasn't returned. After we paid a visit to the school nurse, we all lined up in the cafeteria. Allison, Lydia and Stiles were already sitting along with Danny. Three spots were free at the table. Mine, Scott's… and Jackson's.

I tried to ignore the jab of pain in my gut. After all, Jacko was my friend too.

"Hey, you want that muffin?" Someone in front of me asked as I pouted at it, seeing it was the last one.

I looked up to see chocolate eyes and a smirk. Oh. Oh, sweet baby Jesus; it was one of the twins.

"Um… I… Yeah." I said softly, confused.

"I'm Aiden," He spoke, reaching out to shake my hand. Which I ignored.

"Can I have that muffin?" I asked instead, pointing to it. My feet scuffed against the floor as I grabbed a salad and an orange juice.

He looked confused, probably not used to being rejected. "That depends… can I know your name, beautiful?"

Oh, how I hated that flutter in my chest. "Maybe… will you give me that muffin?"

He looked surprisingly pleased at my attitude. "Will you tell me your name if I do?"

I looked at him mischievously as I leaned forward, trying to stare him down even though he was a head taller than I. "Well, that _depends_, Darling. You're going to have to _earn_ that. And I'm not easy."

I began to walk away as he called out after me. "Don't you want the muffin?"

I smirked, turning around again to show him the muffin on my tray. "Yeah, thanks."

The surprise on his face only lasted a second. I ignored the looks Stiles was sending me and the guy – Aiden as the twin mouthed two words. "Game on."

* * *

After Isaac had been rescued by Derek and Scott, we all gathered at the old Hale house. Stiles was reluctant but I honestly didn't mind. I hadn't seen Derek for over two weeks as he was… 'busy' and I was falling behind in my training. I had no one to spar with because Scott was too scared to fight a girl and Stiles was, as I have before stated, a pussy.

Alas, I wasn't going to complain. Sparring was mine and Derek's thing; I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Before he faced Scott, his eyes met mine. I ignored the way he dropped the gaze instantly. There was a pinch of guilt mixing with the butterflies in my stomach and I suddenly felt like an idiot standing next to him so I twiddled my thumbs.

How being around Aiden made me feel so powerful and flirty in contrast to feeling meek and exposed around Derek made my head spin.

However, I understood why. I was playing a game by giving Aiden attention. It was all a staged play. I was in control. With Derek – I had _no_ control.

Zilch.

"Oh, I see it. Two bands, right?" Derek said softly as he looked at the skin of Scott's arm. I was dying to show him my tattoo. I bet he'd be proud. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know.. uh – It's just something I traced with my fingers." Scott answered softly as he traced the design on the dusty table. Everyone watched him.

"Why is it so important to you?" Derek asked as Stiles and I shared a look and then looked at Scott.

"Do you know what the word 'tattoo' means?" I ignored Stiles jab and listened to Scott. "In Samoan, it means open wound. I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned eighteen. I always wanted one. I just decided to get it now, to make it kind of… a reward."

"For what?" Derek asked, his voice soft. He seemed to understand Scott as Stiles only stared on. Realization hit us twins so suddenly then.

"For not calling or texting Allison all summer," Derek nodded as my heart clenched. I felt for Scott. "Even when I really wanted to. Even when it was so hard not to sometimes. I was trying to give her the space she wants… and four months later, it still hurts. Still feels like a, um-"

"Like an open wound." Stiles and I said at the same time. Derek's eye twitched but he didn't comment. He hated when we did this.

"Yeah." Scott said a while later, lost in thought.

Derek reached behind him for the tool, telling him that it would hurt more than anything he's ever felt.

Scott was murmuring some words but I only stared. Derek taught me to be strong so I held my head high. Stiles got ordered to hold Scott down as Derek embeded the tattoo back on his arm. Scott passed out within seconds, awaking minutes later as Stiles and I stood near the doorway.

After Scott and Stiles chatted for a few minutes and Derek put away the tool, I stood there, looking at the freshly painted door.

_What the hell_?

"You painted the door," Scott called out. Derek looked up, an 'oh shit' look crossing his face. "Why did you paint the door?"

Although no one else noticed the panic fleeting across Derek's face, I did. I always did. I knew Derek like the back of my hand. "Go home, Scott." He answered back simply.

But Scott didn't listen as he spoke. "And why only one side?"

Scott began to scratch the paint off as Derek walked closer, his legs blurring with the fast movements as he called out Scott's name.

"How many are there?" Scott asked as he guessed what Derek's been hiding from us. I was still a little confused along with Stiles, wondering what he meant.

"A pack of them," Derek said after a while. Stiles looked annoyed as my heart clenched. "An Alpha pack."

A _pack_ of Alphas? Was that even _possible_?

"All of them? How does that even work?" Stiles asked. He seemed much calmer than someone who was meant to be worried.

I mean, sure, I was calm on the outside, but I was already planning to rip Derek's balls off for not telling me about this.

"I hear there's some kind of a leader. He's called… Deucalion." He said. "They have Boyd and Erica… Peter, Isaac and I have been looking for them for the last four months."

I shut my eyes, feeling the rage burning behind them. I hated Isaac right now. Peter wasn't a surprise but how could those two keep it from me? How could Derek not _trust_ me?

Oh, _right._

"How do you deal with an alpha pack?" Scott asked while I faced away from the three, feeling too disgusted with one of the Alpha's to be even facing their direction.

"With all the help I can get."

Suddenly, Isaac sat up. He was ruffled and sleepy but also worried. "Where is she? Where's the girl?"

"What girl?" Derek asked for us.

Something told me this was only the beginning of this upcoming disaster.

* * *

**Sooooooo, there is definitely something going on between Derek and Alex but can anyone guess what it is? Althogh this story will feature Aiden/Alex scenes, this is primarly a Derel/Alex story so do not worry, my Darlings. Reviews will be much appreciated and signed in reviewers will get a preview for the next chapter! Cheers x**


	2. Chaos Rising Part 1

**Season 3, Episode 2: Chaos Rising Part 1**

* * *

I was still majorly pissed because of the number Derek pulled on me, but abiding by Stiles' wish, I knew I had to forget about the anger the Alpha made me feel. Tonight was Heather's birthday. Stiles and I have known the blonde since we were three and although a little too perky for my tastes, she was alright.

Derek had been calling me for a while but I choose to ignore it as I walked in front of Stiles and Scott who began speaking.

"What?" Stiles asks suddenly. I perked up but kept quiet, knowing I would probably get irritated with them if we were to have a conversation.

"What do you mean 'what'?" Scott asked, confused. His voice was dazed.

"I mean what, and you know what."

Here we go.

"What, what?"

I was about to groan. _Se_riously.

"The look you were giving." Stiles said, submitting his annoyance.

Realization passed over Scott's face. "I didn't give a look…"

"That was a distinct look, Scott."

"What look?"

"The look that says the last thing you were just doing right now was falling apart."

Scott shrugged as I faced them. "It's not that, it just feel weird going to a high school party."

At that, I tuned them out as I knew Stiles was starting to get frustrated with our best friend. I heard Stiles giving him a pep talk about 'moving on' before they clapped their hands like idiots and we walked in. Just before, Stiles shook his finger at me.

"That goes for you too, Alex. No more of that twin dude, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, not knowing what to say before I scowled. "Fuck you, Stiles."

Scott pointed a finger at me, grinning. "There's the bitch. I was wondering when she was going to return."

I punched Scott in the arm, hearing him groan. "Next time, I'll castrate you."

The two rolled their eyes at me as we entered the house already filled with people. We spotted Heather with her friend near the door. To say I was surprised when Heather threw herself at Stiles and began to demonstrate the art of sucking one's face off would be a lie. The bitch always had a thing for my bro.

I watched as Scott got rejected by Heather's friend and laughed heartily. He faced me, pouting as I only continued to laugh. "That was _golden_." I stated, clutching my sides.

"Keep laughing and I'll tell Stiles you took your knickers off."

I stopped, brows furrowed and annoyed as I placed my hands on my waist. "But I didn't."

He smirked then, so unlike Scott. "Yeah, but who do you think he'll believe?" Cunning bastard asked.

Dude's got a point.

"You're such a bitch. No wonder Derek didn't tell you about the alpha pack." He looked hurt so I poked him, showing him I was only playing. He smiled, not knowing I didn't know about the alpha pack either.

We parted ways after that. Scott went to look for someone he knew and I went to look for something to drink. Once I found a nice bottle of whiskey, I went to the dance floor and began grinding with a girl I knew from school. I know, I sounded like a slut. But no, really, I knew this girl as I was friends with her before I met Lydia. I forgot her name right now, but either way. She was nice and fun and kind of like Lydia pre-Kanima boyfriend and hunter-best friend.

I could tell there was something wrong as Scott disappeared somewhere outside but I ignored it. I was in a dire need of some free time as I danced with a few of my classmates, sporting the half-full bottle of whiskey still. People had offered me other drinks but I was smarter than that. My Dad was the fucking Sheriff. I got this talk when I was _five_.

I was pulled out of my trance (quiet literally dammit) when I was shoved closer to the closest wall. I looked ahead of me, seeing a familiar face. Now I knew something was up as I met Aiden's calm but worried look. The only reason I knew this was Aiden was because his twin was standing behind him, sparing me looks now and then, his features much softer than the harsh ones of Aiden.

"W-what the hell?" I said, dazed. I was trying to focus but I obviously had a bit much to drink. I was no lightweight but I had drank too much in the short amount of time. "What are you two doing here? I don't think Heather knows you…"

"Who's Heather?" Asked Ethan, confused.

I pointed a finger at him, my eyebrows raising before I faced Aiden who looked impatient at my behaviour. "See? You don't know her. Leave."

Well, I actually didn't want them to leave. They were yummy. And I was Alex with a bottle of whiskey.

"No, listen to me," Aiden said, his voice soft as he whispered in my ear. The husky undertone sent chills right to my stomach. Holy fuck. I couldn't help but think about how Derek's voice sent me into a literal mess. Aiden had nothing on him. "You need to leave, okay? Something bad might happen soon and you need to be gone. It-"

Suddenly, the twins perked up.

"What's wrong?"

Stiles came running at me, confused at seeing the twins so close to me but he knew I could protect myself. Still, he stood next to me, showing them he would protect me if needed be. Now that would be fun (Sometimes I was convinced Stiles was gay and let's face it, Ethan was _totally_ swinging the other way so that would be hilarious. I mean, straight vs. straight and gay vs. gay? Yeah, anyway.) seeing as we were two sets of twins.

"Oh please, Stiles. You know I could kick their asses." I said, rubbing my face and pushing Stiles away harshly. He stumbled back, pouting.

Aiden and Ethan shared a look before they laughed.

"You? You kick _my_ ass?" Aiden said, smirking. That little shit. "Babe, _please_."

I threw the bottle of whiskey at Stiles, seeing him catch it with his good reflexes. He leaned against the wall casually as I grabbed Aiden by his arm and pressed my free arm from one end of his collarbone, to the other. Actually, he looked particularly yummy due to the white v-neck he was wearing, but alas.

He looked surprised as I held my own against him. The bitch was expecting me to be a weak little girl. "_Don't _call me babe."

Ethan was standing next to him, a small smile quirking at the edges of his lips as Aiden relaxed against me. One of his hands reached out and he let it linger on my cheek before he brushed some hair behind my ear. He leaned in closer, as if challenging me. "That's cute, _babe_, but it's time for you to leave."

The amount of booze I consumed was influencing some rather embarrassing flashbacks of a certain Alpha I knew but as quickly as they appeared, I chased them away with a pitchfork.

Stiles who had kept quiet, stepped up. "Yeah, Alex, I think it is. Something happened."

I groaned, letting Aiden go even though I knew he wasn't using his full strength to push me away.

"See you at school, Alex." Ethan said instead as I watched Aiden disappear outside.

I smiled at him, seeing as Ethan was the nice one and I wanted to kick Aiden into oblivion, no matter how attractive he was.

* * *

I slid open the massive door, jogging right in and jumping onto Derek's back. He was ready for me, as he always was. Isaac didn't pay us much attention, used to us sparring all summer. After a while of taking my frustrations out on Derek's large form, he threw me to the ground and crossed his arms.

"Still angry with me?" He questioned me.

I didn't answer, which actually kind of gave him an answer as I looked at Isaac, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You're an asshole. I hate you too."

Isaac stopped his movements to watch us before he looked away with an amused smirk when he noticed the blush on my cheeks. Now that I was sober and terribly hungover, the feel of Derek's hard muscle against my pale flesh made me shiver and not exactly in an appropriate way. A twitch of his brow alarmed me of his awareness of our situation and he quickly extracted himself out of my space as if I burned him.

_Ouch_.

After a few minutes of silence, Isaac began to walk alongside the large window. "You know, I'm starting to not like this idea. It sounds kinda dangerous."

I snorted. Well, _obviously_, Isaac. Old Hale was going to _dig his fucking claws_ into your neck. Seriously, Isaac. I was attempting to remain calm and ignore just how much Derek's proximity but distance was affecting me.

It made my heart twist in many, many painful ways and I could tell Isaac was aware of it.

It made me wonder what exactly Derek told him.

"You know what? I definitely don't like this idea and I definitely don't like him." I was about to high-five him before I realized that I was still pissed off with him.

"You'll be fine." Derek said, cutting off whatever I was going to say. He sent me a look which I ignored with a middle finger.

Isaac was stressing out now. "Does it _have _to be him?"

"He knows how to do it. I don't. It would be more dangerous if I tried doing it myself."

"You know Scott doesn't trust him, right? And personally, I trust Scott."

Me too, puppy dog, _me too_.

"Do you trust _me_?"

Although a little reluctantly, Isaac answered. "Yeah?" He said. It sounded more like a question. Derek pretended not to notice, I could see but that didn't stop him from sighing. "I just still don't like him."

"Nobody likes him." Derek and I spoke at the same time and we both scowled at each other. I was still ignoring the heavy thud of my heartbeat and just how familiar his hands had felt on my chest just moments before.

The door slid open as Peter walked in. I wasn't surprised he was standing behind the door this entire time. Like I said, he was a creeper.

"Boys-" He said before he faced me. "-and… _thing_."

I rolled my eyes. "Creeper."

He ignored me as he continued to speak. "FYI, coming back from the dead left me _somewhat_ impaired, _but_, the hearing still works, so, I hope you're comfortable saying what it is that you're feeling, straight to my face."

I went to sit on the table beside Derek, as if shielding Isaac.

"We don't like you." Derek and I said at the same time again as he slammed his book shut. I was trying to keep my laughter in as Isaac chuckled in the background.

"Now shut up and help us." Derek said standing up. Peter's eyebrows rose, but he didn't look surprised.

"Fair enough," He shrugged, extracting his claws dramatically. Drama queen.

Isaac jumped behind me before Derek mentioned him over to the chair as Peter began to explain what he was going to do. Derek was anxiously watching the two as I stood next to Isaac, my arms crossed. Derek taught me to hold my held high, even in the toughest of situations. It pained me to allow Isaac to go through pain but I knew I had to stand by if we were ever to save Erica and Boyd.

Suddenly, after Peter finished his leery speech, he dug his claws into Isaac's neck. I jumped along with the puppy dog and clenched my jaw as I watched Peter perform the task. The spot on the couch next to Derek looked inviting as he stared me down but I ignored it. I could see the glint of pride in his eyes as he looked over my rigid form.

I scowled at him instead while Peter said that he saw what they were searching for and began to have some weird, creepy seizure. My eyes widened as Isaacs eyes blankly stared around the loft, his own body contracting with pain.

Peter seemed to have enough as he retracted him paws and threw himself away from Isaac.

Isaac went still instantly as he stared down, dishevelled. I walked forward and laid a hand on his shoulder, angered when he jumped at my touch.

After speaking to Derek, Peter came to a conclusion. "Isaac found them."

I looked up, sharing a look with Derek before I spoke. "Erica and Boyd?"

"I – I barely saw them."

"But you _did_ see them." Derek said, raising his voice.

"Yeah, but I-"

Derek came to a realization. "Deucalion."

When Derek and Peter talked about the leader of the alpha pack, I knelt next to Isaac, trying to reassure him with my presence but he was still shaken up. I noticed his tremors reducing considerably when I squeezed his shoulder tighter.

"The _next_ full moon?" Derek asked, sitting down. I looked up and met his worried gaze. He was nervous too.

"Tomorrow night." Peter stated.

* * *

"I don't see anything."

Don't even ask me how we got inside this early in the morning. We've been here for like two hours now, because we had to wait for Lydia to send off her boy toy off in the morning without her parents noticing. My head was still aching from drinking all that whiskey last night and the way Derek slammed me against the floor today didn't help either.

It also didn't help that the southern regions of my body still remembered the feel of his much larger body against my own.

"How is a _bruise_ going to tell me where Boyd and Erica are?"

I could see Allison and Derek having a staring match and I went to stand between them, nervously watching the two as Scott spoke. "It's the same on _both sides_. Exactly the same."

"It's nothing." Derek said, putting emphasis on the words as he glared at Allison.

Allison looked amused but angry as Lydia spoke. "Pareidolia," She stated as everyone looked at her. Here we go with her kinky, crazy sense of geniousness. "Seeing patterns that aren't there," Derek looked annoyed then but Lydia kept going. "It's a subset of Apephimia."

"They're trying to help." I pleaded, speaking to Derek for the first time in days. His eyes flicked over to me painfully slowly and when they did, he only rested them on me for a split second. However, his demeanour changed. He no longer looked rigid and angry. Instead, he looked more relaxed.

"These two?" He asked, facing me before pointing at Lydia. "This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic uncle – _thank you_," He said, scowling before he faced Allison. "And _this_ one, who shot about thirty arrows into me and my pack."

Okay, oh God, this was turning into a disaster.

As Scott tried to ease the tension between Lydia, Derek and Allison, the latter finally spoke up.

"My mother died." She said softly, her eyes narrowing.

"Your code killed you mother. Not me."

"That girl was her looking for Scott. I'm here to help him. Not you."

"Wanna help?" He said, leaning forward. "Find something _real_."

"Give her a chance," Scott whispered. I followed him to Derek and crossed my arms, fixing my ever-present frown onto my face. "They're on our side now."

"Well then maybe you should tell her what he mother was _actually_ trying to do that night." Derek whispered harshly, leaving just as the bell went.

* * *

"The stock market is based on two principles." Coach spoke, effectively waking everyone up. I shared a bored look with Stiles as he went on. "What are they?"

Scott's hand rose as Finstock rolled his eyes.

"Yes McCall, you can go to the bathroom."

Scott dropped his hand but still spoke. "No, coach, I know the answer."

Finstock started laughing instantly and a few people at the front laughed at his ridiculous chortle. Danny sent me an amused look as Scott looked on, confused.

FInstock stopped. "Oh, you're serious."

"Yeah – Yes. Risk and reward."

"Wow, who _are_ you!? And what have you done to McCall? Don't answer that. I like you better. _I like you better_."

I rolled my eyes. He was such a dipshit.

He spoke to the class this time, edging away from Scott. "Does anyone have a quarter?"

Stiles, from beside me, reached into his pocket, ready to pull one out. Something square and shiny fell out of his pocket and I gasped along with some other people in the class as the condom packet then laid on the floor. Pun intended.

I giggled, but felt bad for my brother as Finstock held it up and spoke. "Stilinski, I think you.. dropped this," He said, speaking quieter again. "And congratulations."

I lost it at that and Stiles sent me an annoyed look. I went to pat him on the shoulder but he slapped my hand away as Finstock went on with the lesson, teaching us about 'risk and reward'. Scott actually looked proud of himself and I gave him a thumbs up.

As Stiles, the idiot, went to throw the coin in the cup, a knock sounded through the room. Everyone perked up as they obviously found it more interesting that watching Stiles jut his ass out into the air as he gambled his business-free afternoon away.

"Stiles, Alex." Dad spoke. Oh shit. Not this again.

"Yeah, Coach, I got this."

"Stiles." Dad stated again and I got up, already walking outside as Stiles followed.

Dad asked him about the party and Heather and Stiles was confused but worried. "I couldn't find her. I just figured she hooked up with her other friends. Has no one really seen her since last night?"

"No," Dad murmured and I looked down, feeling the sadness overcome my mind. Bodies, around Beacon Hills, had the tendency to appear either torn apart or with a missing pulse. "We put out an MPR but uh.. her friends say you're the last person that saw her."

"Me?" He asked. Well obviously, fucker. You were ready to drop your pants for the girl last night.

"You know, this might be a series of events based on having too much to drink," Dad said. "But if you remember anything else, you call me, alright?"

As Dad walked off, Stiles and I stood in the hallway a while longer. He was huffing softly, broken.

"Stiles, she's going to be okay." I promised him, grabbing his hand. He smiled at me and it seemed convincing but I saw right through it. Twin thing.

He nodded. "By the way… Scott thinks there's something going on with the twins."

I bit my lip, my thoughts confirmed. "I know."

* * *

**Wow guys, thank you so much for the reviews! How about we try to get this to 15 reviews for chapter 3? :) x**


	3. Chaos Rising Part 2

**Season 3, Episode 2: Chaos Rising Part 2**

* * *

I was absolutely, 117% sure that I had some genetically transmitted deficiency disorder which prompted me to be _very slightly_ attracted to dangerous, snarky and _washboard abs_ guys who had an average of 99.9% chance of wanting to kill my friends (and that includes Derek Hale who although always treated me with respect and _honour_ always had it out for pretty much every single person in my life). But mostly just my twin Stiles and Scott McIdiot.

But since old habits die hard. I'm, y'know, Alex Grace Stilinksi _Badass Extraordinaire_ who once got caught smoking tea and who, a few days ago, was pondering on whether I should trick Scott and the tattooist guy into thinking Stiles actually wanted a set of lips inked on his ass cheek whilst he was passed out on the floor. Or in other words, I believed rules were only made to be broken, and so I ignored twin's protests and did what I did best; fucked up the situation beyond recognition.

And my aim? Aiden _fucking_ Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is.

* * *

The twins walked into the library as Allison drank her white-girl coffee and I was searching for symbols and logos on the internet, Allison aiding me. Their bruises looked freakishly mirrored, but for us, freak was the _old_ black.

"I want one." Lydia spoke suddenly, watching as the two swaggered in like they owned the place. Fuck me sideways, Aiden looked delicious but definitely not as delicious now that I was sober and fully aware of Derek's wonderful physique. He could sense me staring at him as he spared me a glance and smirked.

Damn, he had _nothing_ on Derek.

Allison looked excited as she eyed Lydia. "Which one?"

Lydia spoke, her tone confused as if she was stating the most obvious thing in the world. "The _straight one_ obviously."

We all turned around to see Danny make an idiot out of himself in front of Ethan. While Lydia and Allison turned back to the laptop, I was already walking towards Aiden, knowing that if I lost this bet to Lydia, she would make me remember it 'till my last dying breath (although I was slowly growing resentful as Aiden was obviously not that charming due to his annoying personality and also the tendency to wanting to hurt my fucking friends but _alas_).

I almost felt bad for doing this to the poor guy but it was easy to tell that he was a complete player and it wasn't like either of us were getting emotionally invested into this because, well, a tiny part of my heart ached to see Derek's smile instead of Aiden's.

"Hey, babe," He said softly. Although he looked rather calm, I could see the amusement and danger clipped to his persona. Wow, that sounded retarded. "No hangover, I see."

I shrugged, looking back to see Allison sending me an amused smile. "I'm a master at the whole undercover-bad girl slash daughter of the Sheriff thing so…"

His eyebrows rose. "So far, I've seen you tame. I wonder what it would take to make you release that inner badass."

I scoffed. "Am I not badass enough already?"

He shrugged, crossing his arms. He was seeing right through me. "Or perhaps this is you at your best. Perhaps you're just a little, scared girl on the inside."

That hit a nerve.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." I stated frostily.

_Come on, Alex, keep your emotions in check. You barely know this guy, don't get your knickers in a twist._

"Daddy issues?" He prompted, narrowing his eyes as he looked me over. "Or maybe it's Mommy issues?"

Breath, Alex.

Something in his demeanour changed. He was no longer joking. He didn't look amused. Instead, he looked calculating, as if he was testing my thorned walls of defence.

"That's _none_ of your fucking business, Aiden."

With that, I brushed past him, wondering why I ever agreed to this bet at all.

* * *

By the time I had found the dick again, it was already second lunch. I knew for a fact that he had a spare period when I did because I managed to knick his schedule from the principal's computer while Allison charmed him with her awesome, charming charm skills while she babbled on and on about the gay-ass sword he found in his office.

Allison being my partner-in-crime again was something I should be telling Derek-dear about, but since he was still being an a-hole, he could go eff himself for all I cared.

Oh, what a lovely visual.

_Mo_ving on.

Aiden (and I was _dearly_ hoping it was Aiden and not Ethan) was going through shit in his locker so I walked up to him and leaned against it. Since I was drunk last night and then proceeded to manhandle him in a lady-like manner (which I though made him look like a complete pussy, tbh), I guessed an apology was in order (never mind the fact that he was completely out of line a few hours ago). I mean, I already fucked it up by showing my defence skills so I suppose dancing around the pit wouldn't really work anymore.

"So uh," I began, waiting for him to turn to me. He didn't… the bitch only smirked. I bet he could smell me walking towards him anyway. _Considering_. "Sorry about manhandling you." _Do you by any chance go wolfy too?_

"You didn't hurt me, if that's what you're wondering."

My eyes narrowed. "Well, I suppose even if I did hurt you, it wouldn't do much damage anyway, would it?" My anger was getting the best of me.

Squish. Unsquish.

Red alert.

Abort mission.

"Are you on your period or did you take two doses of 'bitch' this morning?" He said finally, giving me a blank stare though his dark eyes danced with mirth. He found this situation amusing as my jaw dropped.

_I was trying to __**apologize**__._

I took a deep breath, repeating a positive phrase in my head. _Play nice, Alex_. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could buy you lunch, since I nearly threw mine up on you last night."

His face scrunched up, probably at the visual he received. "Uh… okay?"

Well this was going absolutely nowhere. I bit my lip, moving a little closer to him as I dropped my voice. "So how did you know something bad was going to happen?" My throat was starting to clench up. I had yet to cry about Heather.

"How did you?"

I shook my head. "I was the one drinking booze and grinding on a girl I barely spoke to. You were the one tracking me down like a _dog_ and yes, that had a double meaning to it."

Oh yeah, I just went there.

"Well, how did your brother know?"

"Stiles knew because when he went to go back to see her, she was gone, okay?"

He nodded and then continued to maintain eye contact with me. He looked sideways a little before he leaned in, closer to my face. "Look, we don't know what's going on either, alright?"

I could see twin out of the corner of my eye and Scott was trying his hardest to eavesdrop as he looked at us sideways, trying to appear casual. Seeing as I was still majorly pissed at the two banning me from their plans tonight, I knew I had to tread carefully.

"That'd be great," I said, perking up. Aiden seemed to understand as he gave me an angelic smile which distinctly reminded me of a very different Alpha. _Go away, butterflies_. I touched his arm affectionately, not even sparing twin and asshole a glance. "So you'll text me later tonight?"

He took his phone out and I typed in my number, before turning to walk off. He grabbed my arm and leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he dropped his voice so low I could barely hear him myself. "Be careful tonight, Alex."

I understood what he meant. One wink later and he was already down the hall, walking past twin and asshole, sending them a mocking smile.

* * *

After my ignoring Stiles' and Scott's please of wanting to know what I was talking to Aiden about, they tried bribing me with being there for Isaac when they searched through his memories. Seeing as Allison and I already knew what to do tomorrow, it wasn't an advantage to me so I ignored them for the rest of the day and pretended that I was still upset about the whole '_Let's ban Alex from our plans tonight although she saved our asses more time that we can count'_ thing.

I was going to surpass them tomorrow night, and then they'll come crawling back to me like the little bitches they are.

I wasn't even pissed anymore, just disappointed.

Disappointed they actually chose Derek over me just because we weren't on the best terms right now.

While Scott and Stiles got yelled at by Dad, I walked into the room and kissed him on the cheek before sparing a glance at all the shite on the floor and sending Stiles a cunning look. He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously.

"Boys!" They stood up, now rather alert. "I've gotta get to work. You two get to school."

With that, he patted me on the head as he passed me. I crossed my arms, examining my nails. I made sure to wear something slutty to annoy Stiles.

"Dad!" Stiles yelled out. Just as I thought he was going to dob me in again, he spoke again. "Heather?"

There goes bitch mode. My heart clenched.

Dad took a second to respond. "No, not yet."

As Dad left, Stiles and Scott conversed. Twin looked annoyed, ignoring my presence. "Ten hours and _nothing_."

"We're gonna find something." Scott said reassuringly. I was trying not to snort.

Allison and I finished what they were trying to finish all night in about 20 minutes. Girl power. Rawr.

"Finding something won't make Erica any less dead. Or Boyd being any less about to be dead."

My eyes narrowed as my bottom lip trembled. I knew talking to them this morning would probably knock down my walls. Heather being gone was one thing, but Erica? She was only _fifteen_.

"We still have time."

"Is this whole… remain optimistic in the face of complete and utter disaster thing a part of the 'Be a better Scott McCall' program?"

Ignoring the insult, Scott smiled sheepishly. "Um, not if it doesn't work."

As I was walking out, deciding to gloat on my own while riding my board to school, I heard Stiles mutter: "Nah, it works."

* * *

There was just something exciting about breaking into a bank during a full moon. Aiden was yet to text me. Allison felt guilty for lying to Lydia. I felt ecstatic at the thought of breaking the law. _Again_.

"Team Badass returns!" I whispered yelled as Allison cut through the chains. She giggled.

Our fear was masked by the excitement as I kept looking around us to see if we disturbed anyone walking past the bank at this hour.

We walked in through the door and closed the door after us. My instincts were telling me to assess every single entrance and exit in case of an emergency (and this was something I mentally thanked Derek for) as we scanned the abandoned building. They should have active camera surveillance in here, actually. Idiots.

We knew we were losing precious time as we searched for a way inside the vault. Stiles let it slip that Boyd was in there with an 'unknown' girl, considering Isaac said that Erica was dead.

My senses were tingling. It was probably the full moon, but even Allison was eerily quiet as she assessed each corner we passed. There was a high chance we were being followed and if the turned over desks and ruined documents laying everywhere weren't a clue as to why the _we shouldn't be here right now_ wasn't a reason to leave, then the clenching feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of endangering my loved ones definitely was.

Something was terribly wrong, and the deeper we entered the maze hallway that was the bank, the more excruciating the pain in my stomach became. I could handle it physically, but emotionally, I was starting to doubt our plan.

There was something _terribly_ wrong, did I mention that?

Fuck, I knew we should have brought puppy-dog Isaac, but since Allison and him had a nasty history, I knew he wouldn't have agreed. But whatever, cause Isaac always preferred me over Derek anyway and even though he was completely out-of-commission right now, I knew he was on my side.

Out of nowhere, a figure came at us and attacked.

We were fighting her off and – woah, what the fuckery, ?

"Keep your mouths shut and stay in the closet. You have no idea what you've just stepped into." She said as she had us pressed into the wall near a door. My eyes widened, bewildered at her appearance. "Right now I'm giving you twenty second to get your assses -."

"What are you doing?" I managed to whisper.

"- in that storage closet. _Lock_ the door. When you hear the fighting start, that's when you come out."

"What fighting?" Allison said, struggling.

"You'll hear it," She said viciously. "Now go."

With that, she was gone as Allison and I shared a bewildered look. We both ran into the storage closet and locked the door. When Allison tried the light and it didn't work, we knew we were fucked. The pain in my stomach stopped as I looked around, trying to search the darkness for the source. However, my search abruptly stopped as we heard a tapping against the linoleum floor outside.

We shared a look, both holding out breaths.

Footsteps stopped close to out hiding spot and thinking quickly, I spilled some cleaning supplies. We breathed out a sigh of relief as Allison took off her jacket and covered the gap between the door and the floor.

She let the light from her phone wander over the dark room and we both gasped as we saw the most excruciating sight we were hoping to avoid.

Erica.

* * *

My mind was going on an overdrive. There was also the possibility that I could be channelling Stiles right now (hey, _anything_ is possible, alright) as I had many times before, but this was different. Other than the dead Erica laying in the corner of the closet, there was something else that was making my senses go off the rails.

Why would they keep Boyd and Erica here of all places?

I was just about to text Stiles after being in the closet for an hour when we heard a distant smash. The force sent vibration through the building and I looked at the teary-eyed Allison. We had no idea what to do, and why the hell should we be trusting anyway? For all we knew, she could be using us as bait for the wolves.

Wait a minute…

What if they were planning to unleash the wolves tonight?

"Allison," I whispered. "The full moon… something else is going on."

She nodded, agreeing with me. She couldn't even speak. I had no idea how _I_ could with a dead Erica in the room. I had no idea how we were gonna break this information to Derek. One of his own… _dead_. I just wanted a cuddle from Isaac right now.

The growling sounded through the hallways. We must be close to the source.

I was no longer relying on the plan, just my luck. And let me tell you, I had possibly the worst luck in the world.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was running out of the closet, Allison hot on my heals. The tears gathered in my eyes as Scott yelled. I could feel the tremble of anguish in his yells. Something bad was about to happen.

The growls got louder as we reached the vault, the door now open as disappeared around the corner with a man I didn't know.

My mouth was forming words without thought as I watched the fight. Neither I nor Allison knew what to do as I watched my best friend and my mentor fight off the two powerful betas. I didn't even bother keeping the tears in anymore as I watched Derek get hurt. I just wanted my twin right now… Stiles would understand the helplessness I felt when I watched someone I loved get hurt in a situation like this. In a situation where I couldn't help them get better, a situation when I could do _nothing_.

Allison and I searched for anything that could help us. As Scott's mouth flooded with blood, Boyd's claws digging deep into his abdomen, Allison and I spotted the herbal barrier littered around the entire vault.

Not wasting any time, she kneeled, ready to break it.

Derek spared me a glance, his glare full of hatred as he then yelled at Allison. "No, don't break the seal!"

She looked at Scott, yelling out Boyd's name as she broke it with her hands.

The fighting stopped as the two crazy beta's looked at the chance of escape, running out immediately. I was tempted to tackle the female, but Scott and Derek were at our sides immediately, Derek manhandling Allison as if she was a rag doll.

"Don't touch her!" Scott yelled.

"What were you thinking!?" Derek yelled, grabbing her arms forcefully.

Scott tried to reason with him as Allison did, but I have had enough as Derek and Allison continued to throw jabs at each other. It was time I faced the anger I still held for Derek. It was time I let him know I wasn't a breakable little girl that he took under his wing as a project.

"No that's just the rest of your family!"

"I've made mistakes, but Gerard isn't my fault."

"Then what about your mother?"

With the hatred gathering deep inside my mind like a source of light, my fist connected with his cheek.

Everyone went silent as the sharp pain filled my hand, the bitter tears disappearing from my vision. I wasn't just angry anymore, I was livid. How fucking _dare_ he.

"Trying to protect me? I _understand_ that. But thinking I can't protect myself? Out of all the things you ever said to me, out of all the insults you threw at me when you were angry, Derek, this one hurt the most. How _could_ you exclude me like this? How could you just throw me aside as if I meant nothing? _I'm your pack_, goddamit! You disregarded me as if I was _nothing_!"

Scott was avoiding eye contact and Allison was channelling my bitchy attitude as Derek slowly straightened out.

He stared at me for a couple of seconds. "I was trying to protect you, you know that."

I shook my head, my hand swiping against my face. "No, no…" I said. I swallowed the gulp. "You made me feel helpless. Tell me, is this another one of your stupid lessons? Because I'm over it. I'm over your bullshit. You're supposed to teach me how to protect the people I love, not how to keep experiencing heartbreak as everyone I love _dies _around me. This is over, Derek. For good."

He looked as helpless as I felt right now. But I wouldn't quiver. I wouldn't yield.

"I don't ever want you to speak to me again, Derek. We've had our fair share of fights and we've fixed our problems, but I can't take it anymore. I don't want you to be my mentor. I don't want you to teach me anymore. I don't want to be in your pack. I'm sick of being the fucking doormat. We are through."

He went to reach out for me but I stepped back. He felt like shit and I could feel that too. I always felt his pain. Always. I felt his pain because he _was my leader_ and I was his warrior and he fucked me over harder than anyone ever did.

"Alex, please."

I shook my head. "Have fun fucking up your life. I was trying to help you fix it, but I can't have you taking me for granted anymore." I spat.

With that, he walked past me, trying to hide his sadness with the angry mask that appeared on his face. His arm brushed mine and I felt the voidness of our bond. It was barely there, barely hanging on by a single thread. I felt disoriented. I felt lost without a single direction to turn to.

I spared asshole a look. "Don't look at me like that, Scott. I followed him blindly everywhere and he always underestimated me. It's time I broke off from his influence."

He shook his head. "Lexi… he protects you because he thinks of you as one of his own. The times we were expecting him to break down, you were there and you kept him together. Give him a chance."

I scoffed. "I gave him one too many and look where that got me."

With that, I walked off, knowing Allison and Scott had _a _lot to talk about. Rubbing my arms as my lips trembled, I sniffed. I hated feeling helpless. I hated it. I hated that I couldn't hate Derek.

Even now, with all the hurt that was threatening to cripple me, I couldn't hate him and so I hated myself the most for not being _able_ to hate him.

* * *

**Wow, you guys are amazing! Let's get this to 25 - 30 reviews for chapter 4? x**


	4. Fireflies

**Season 3, Episode 3: Fireflies**

* * *

"Are you okay?" Allison asks timidly as she got into her car. There was something else about her. Something different. Something broken.

"Yes." I answered, my chin and nose high in the air.

_No, I'm not_.

"Scott and Derek are going to go looking for Boyd and the girl."

I already knew this. Of course Scott wanted to be the hero of this tale. He always wanted to protect everyone. I suppose in this aspect, we were the same. The difference was that Scott let people walk all over him, whilst I did not.

There was a beat of silence as I toyed with my phone. I had no idea what to tell Allison right now. I didn't know how to apologize. I was barely holding myself together. I had, in a way, emotionally let go of my pack. I felt alone. Clueless.

I needed Derek.

I huffed out a breath suddenly, tying my hair up as I spoke, my voice steady and authoritive. "Let's leave before they come out. We should start at the school. God knows why, but all the shit always goes down at our high school."

* * *

As soon as we heard a scream, we knew it was Lydia. We didn't even question why she was at school at this hour, nor did we wonder why she was screaming. Our lives were so fucked up that there was no time to feel surprise or confusion.

As Allison and I separated, I stealthily followed Stiles to Lydia, where she stood shaken up by the pool.

"Lydia! Lydia, are you okay?"

"I'm okay. _That_, over there…. not okay."

I looked around the fence, spotting the still body of a guy, casually lounging on the life guard chair. Well, it would have been casual if he wasn't bleeding, his skin a pale blue. And shit, he _stank_.

"Yeah, I'm gonna… uh… call my Dad."

Dad? Oh no. No, no. Is he an idiot or _what_?

"I already called 911."

"You called the police before you called _me_?"

"I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?"

He went silent for a second before he yelled again. Lydia looked even more shaken up. "YES!"

I felt sorry for her.

He was calling someone now, explaining the situation. Most likely Scott. "Yep, throat ripped out. Blood everywhere. It's like the freaking Shang-ham over here. If two little twin girls come out of the woods and start asking me to play with them, I'm not gonna be surprised."

I rolled my eyes at his dramatic explanation of the situation. This dude and his fucking sarcasm.

As he continued to talk to Scott, I snuck away from the scene and followed Allison who had jumped into her car. She was carrying a set of knives, which I guessed she had hidden somewhere at school. She handed them to me and we shared a look.

I was completely useless when it came to a bow and arrow, but Allison taught me well with daggers.

"Dead guy. Throat cut again. Lydia found him." I felt lifeless as I spoke, falling into the familiar routine. If this was a year ago, I would barely be able to get the words out. Now, it felt like such a pattern that it barely bothered me. Bodies dropped around us like dead flies.

Allison nodded. I could tell that the information she learned not even an hour ago still bothered her but she put on brave mask. "We have to make sure we don't get seen. We don't want them knowing we're back in business."

I nodded simply, not really having anything else to say.

Allison sighed, looking down at her hands. "Um… Scott told me about my Mom and what – what she _did_ to him."

I nodded. "I know."

"As soon as he told me… I knew you knew. You must have. You three tell each other everything."

I shook my head instantly. "They have no idea about this. I don't tell them everything. And if I had known that you would rather have known the truth, I would have told you _instantly_, Allison. I just didn't want you thinking badly of her."

She faced me. "She tried to kill Scott. She tried to kill your _best friend_, Alex. Don't you hate her? Even if just a little?"

"We're all monsters here, Allison. She was doing what she thought was best, just like we are. Just because we're doing what we think is best, doesn't mean it is right either. Just think about that."

She nodded, finally understanding. "So what's up with you and Derek?"

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. Although the words felt sour on my tongue, I went on like it didn't bother me in the least. "Nothing. We're through. I am not going to waste any more time being there for him."

Allison waggled her eyebrows at me, clearly seeing straight through my eyes. "Sure, Alex. _Sure_."

"Just drop it." I pleaded with her. Thank God Lydia wasn't in the car with us. Thank _God_.

"You know… we're going to have to talk about _it _eventually too."

Now, _that_, is something I would like to avoid even more.

"Do we?"

"_Yes_."

I groaned, my fingers dangerously skidding over the blade of the daggers. "But why?" I whined. I felt like a child.

Allison fell silent for a few seconds. "Everyone used to wonder about you two, you know? You always calmed him down… he _always_ protected you even though you were on opposite sides for a while. He didn't treat you like Stiles and Scott treated you, he treated you like you were his equal."

I nodded. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… I always felt like I belonged in his pack, you know? I felt like I was destined to be in it. I felt like all the things he taught me; tracking, defending, fast-thinking, fighting… like he was the only one that could show me how to master all those. Like, I felt like he was always meant to be my leader and I was always meant to be one of his warriors – not necessarily a pawn, but a right hand," I took a deep breath. Now that I was speaking of my feelings, I felt completely exposed. "And lately, he's been treating me as if I'm made of glass. As if I am _fragile_. Like he can't… like he can't _trust_ me."

Allison's hand covered mine as she pulled me closer. I was shaking my head but it was too late. I was already crying. I was already crying over Derek _fucking _Hale, who had promised to teach me all he knew, who had promised to never disappoint me or lie to me. I was crying because Allison told me something that only made this situation all the more difficult.

"He cares about you more than he cares about anyone. You know that."

* * *

Allison and I barely even spoke as we tracked Boyd and the girl. Using our blood to attract them was a stupid idea, but we had no other choice. We were walking right into the path of danger.

We were practically on the verge of getting caught by the two crazed wolves who were basically being lured into the school by the majestic quarto which was made up of Asshole Alpha, Asshole McCall, Asshole Puppy Dog and Papa Argent when we almost got caught.

Although the wolves kept getting distracted by our scents to focus too much on the four men, they were still stronger than all of us combined. I doubted anyone was going to come out of this unscathed.

My phone was ringing repeatedly, and seeing as the ring tone was _I'm sexy and I know it_, I knew it was Stiles. But since I was still pissed at him and he probably already knew why I wasn't home yet, I knew I had no choice but to ignore it.

We had followed each member of the little group to protect them without being seen until we finally found the two lunatics together. I jumped down, not even for a split second fearing for my life as anger flooded my senses. Allison shot her arrows at them, blinding them, which allowed me to get a few cuts in. As they finally ran off, a wild Isaac appeared.

I almost laughed at the comical explanation in my head but I figured it would be rather inappropriate in this situation and this prompted me to think about all of those other times I spent with _Derek_ trying not to laugh in serious situations.

Fuck. Ouch.

Isaac didn't even see me as his eyes never strayed from Allison. Her expression was one of pride and then fear as she ran off while Isaac only looked surprised for a second before an expression of amusement lingered on his face. I ducked as he searched the shadows, probably searching for me; the _Partner In Crime 2.0 _but I ran off silently along with Allison.

* * *

I knew it was time to leave the school and as soon as we both entered the car, we shared a look and then bright smiles appeared on our faces.

It felt _so good_ to be back in action. I hadn't battled an actual wild wolf in _months_.

I checked my phone to see a text from Stiles, saying to meet him in the hospital as soon as I could. The clock read 5:03 a.m.

"Allison, do you reckon we could make one last stop before we go home?"

* * *

Mama McCall led me straight to where Scott and Stiles were and I saw the two observing two bodies lying on the metal tables. Before I knew what was happening, I ran straight to Stiles, gripping his hand tightly. I should have answered my phone.

Heather.

_Heather_ was gone.

She was _dead_.

Stiles covered her face as he sobered up, his expression blank. He was trying to stay strong for both of us.

"So Boyd and Cora may _not_ have killed anyone?" Scott asked, watching Stiles.

"Yeah, I wish they did."

Woah, hold the fuck up, twin. What?

"Why?" Scott and I asked him at the same time. I ignored the stench of the dead bodies, already used to the feeling death lingering around me.

"I'm not exactly… _sure_ yet." I knew not to doubt Stiles. Not only because he was my twin, but because he was Stiles and he was a _genius_. The dude knew what was up and what was down and Scott only knew straight. "The other girl that was out in the woods… Emily, eventually they're gonna find her. She's one of _them_. Emily, Heather, the guy Lydia found at the pool… all three were virgins."

I gasped, already knowing where he was going with this. "Stiles?"

"They'll have the same three injuries. Strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in. It's called; _The Three Fold Death_." Stiles informed us.

"So if these aren't random killings then what are they?"

"Sacrifices." Stiles and I spoke at the same time, realization coming upon all of us. We all looked at each other, knowing serious shit was about to go down right here, in Beacon Hills.

"Human sacrifices." I finished off.

Will we _ever_ have a quiet year?

* * *

Stiles and I got home at 6, having to sneak back in through the windows. Dad wasn't one to meddle through our shit so he didn't care if we locked our doors during the night. Actually, he encouraged it. All the while home, I couldn't help but think about what I had said to Derek. About how I would never speak to him again. I had practically ripped his heart out and pissed all over it and yet I felt like _I_ was the one being torn apart.

With all these dead bodies and crazy wolves running around, we never knew when one of us would be next. I never expected Jackson to become a fucking lizard, or for Allison's mother to get bitten, nor did I expect human sacrifices and I most certainly didn't expect to hold a torch for Derek fucking Hale.

All I knew was that the emptiness I felt inside when I thought of all these things happening _again_ wasn't a surprise. I wasn't surprised at all these events occurring; I was only waiting for them to happen. I was going to face them head on.

I unlocked my phone, skimming past the countless texts and calls. I saw none from Derek and one from Aiden.

I went into my contacts, calling the number I felt I had to before I chickened out.

I was crying before I knew it and maybe it was because I was always an emotional freak when it came to giving up my pride or maybe, _just maybe_, I felt like nothing without Derek there to guide me.

"Alex?"

"Derek?"

I sobbed softly as my frame shook. Crying in Allison's arms was nothing compared to how I was feeling right now. I felt like complete shit.

"Say something…" He whispered into the phone. I could only imagine what he was doing right now; standing in front of his giant-ass window, clenching his phone and clawing his fingers into his hair.

God.

"I'm so sorry I said all those things to you, Derek," I managed to say as I held my nose for a couple of seconds and then brushed my fingers across my reddened cheeks. "But it's not _fair_. Why don't you trust me anymore? Is it because of what happened?"

I heard a sigh on the other end as we both skipped around the subject. "Alex, I trust you more than anyone… you know that."

Neither of us could push forward the event that occurred over a month ago forth. I didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I shook my head before feeling stupid when I realized he couldn't see me. "No, you've been keeping secrets from me for months now! Do you even realize how stupid I felt? How _helpless_? I tell you _everything_, Derek. Why can't you do the same?"

There was silence before he spoke again. His voice controlled and sharp. "I don't think you're weak. You're the strongest person I know. I'm… _sorry_ for keeping this a secret. I just…"

"Just what?"

"I just want you to be a normal kid."

Oh.

_Oh_.

I nodded, but shit did it hurt. He literally just called me a child. "I'm not a kid. My childhood was gone the moment my Mother called me a disappointment, Derek. I've told you this."

I rarely spoke of my Mommy issues, and only a few chosen people knew why I despised my Mother so much. Only few knew of the hatred I felt for her when she was alive, and only few knew that she always preferred Stiles over me.

I heard the loud gulp on the other line. "So… will you come back to us?"

"Should I?"

"We need you."

"Do _you_ need me?"

He scoffed and I heard the reluctance in his voice. He chuckled, as if to break the tension. "I need my little warrior to keep me entertained."

I growled in frustration. "I am not _little_. I fought off-" I shut up before I revealed my secret. He would have kicked my ass if he knew I was at the school this morning but another part of my mind soared at his words. He _needed_ me. He _wanted_ me with him.

"Yes?"

"Never mind, actually. Have a good day, Derek."

"You too, kiddo. Don't forget your meds and uh, lock your windows next time."

Damn, he knew I was at the school.

Fuck.

He hung up before I could ask what he meant but then my acute senses caught a twinkle of silver laying in the middle of my bed. I picked it up slowly, my heart skipping so many fucking beats that it made me wonder whether I was still alive or not.

The Hale pack symbol. I traced the symbol with a finger. The same finger I used to trace the tattoo on Derek's back over a month ago.

_It has been over a month_.

I sighed, a small smile gracing my lips. We were pack. Nothing more, nothing less but then why did it hurt so much to think that?

I deleted all the notifications of missed calls and unanswered texts until I came upon the one from Aiden.

_Hey beautiful (: x_

It was from last night and he probably thought I was ignoring him. I wondered if I should answer, feeling a little too much like a traitor now what I was back in Derek's pack and also hopefully back in his close proximity.

Still, I answered the text, my heart beating faster with each typed letter. I clicked send. I knew what needed to be done. Aiden was the enemy; the arch nemesis.

Suddenly, the bet I made with Lydia became much more serious and I'd be damned if I let him go anywhere near her.

But how will I be able to pull this off without Aiden finding out the truth? And then a thought hit me – he knew I was Derek's pack. He knew who he was targeting. He _knew what he was doing_.

But I will remain one step ahead of him.

* * *

**Your response has been amazing guys! Let's get this to 35-40 reviews for chapter 5? xx**


End file.
